Tari Eason

BIOGRAPHY

Tari Eason was born May 10, 2001 in Portsmouth, Virginia. He is power forward in the NBA.

Eason started his high school career at Garfield High School in Seattle, Washington under head coach Brandon Roy, and played sparingly during his first two years. For his junior season, he transferred to Federal Way High School in Federal Way, Washington, where he played alongside top recruit Jaden McDaniels. Eason returned to Garfield for his senior season as Roy came back following a one-year break. He led his team to a 3A state title, recording 21 points and 14 rebounds against Paolo Banchero and O'Dea High School in the final, and received tournament MVP. Eason averaged 23 points, eight rebounds and three steals per game as a senior, and was named 3A Player of the Year. A four-star recruit, he committed to playing college basketball for Cincinnati over offers from Colorado and USC.

On February 26, 2021, Eason posted a freshman season-high 20 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks in a 91–71 win over Tulane. As a freshman at Cincinnati, he averaged 7.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.2 steals per game, earning American Athletic Conference All-Freshman Team honors. For his sophomore season, Eason transferred to LSU. He was named to the First Team All-SEC as well as SEC Sixth Man of the Year. Eason averaged 16.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game. On March 25, 2022, he declared for the 2022 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.

Eason was selected with the 17th overall pick by the Houston Rockets.